June 10, 2020 8:00 am

Understanding the Mindset of a Struggling Student

When we see failures and frustrations as opportunities, and reinforce the principles of self-efficacy, we can better support our struggling students.

Working with struggling students requires mounds of patience and a steady course of perseverance and sometimes creativity. Most learning isn’t easy; it’s hard, messy work, and as educators, we deal with the downsides and difficulties of learning every day, especially now. But we also see our student’s failures and frustrations as opportunities, and we can help by understanding the mindset of a struggling student, and by reinforcing the principles of self-efficacy.

What is self-efficacy? The definition is straightforward: “a person’s perception that he or she has the skill and capability to undertake a particular task.” If students believe they can succeed, they can. Yet, many students come to our classes lacking this belief, and with no growth mindset. Retired Penn State Professor Dr. Mary Ellen Weimer has several ideas to keep in mind when working with struggling learners.

Understanding the Mindset of a Struggling Student

They lack confidence. A student’s self-esteem has a direct effect on their academic performance. Students who struggle with confidence may believe there is no point in trying, and that where they are now is where they will always be. When asked to write a paper or work through a challenging math concept, they are often convinced they’ll do poorly before they even begin. When teachers ask if they need help with a difficult assignment, they may say no, or not respond at all. We can help these students by praising small steps in the right direction. Let them know what you like about their work in specific terms: “You’re on the right track with that equation. You got this.” And try to show them tangible proof of their growth by comparing early classwork to what they are doing now, which can help build self-efficacy in a concrete way.

They fear failure. When given a rigorous task, students can be too afraid of making a mistake to try. They can take failure personally, lacking the understanding that failure is a part of the learning process. Creating autonomy with these students is still possible, though; take, for example, The University of Montana’s Best Fail Ever campaign. The University aimed to “increase students’ resilience and convey the message that it is okay to fail sometimes.” Here, students became more comfortable with acknowledging their self-efficacy by sharing their own “best fail ever” stories publicly across campus. Programs like this demonstrate to students that failure can be a path to growth. When teachers find ways to alleviate students’ anxiety of failure, students are more likely to focus on learning.

They are easily distracted. Life is always distracting, and students (and adults) are dealing with more distractions than ever now. Often, students struggle with separating their study time from their lives, and that became more difficult as schools closed, forcing learning to take place at home. According to Dr. Weimer, “these students are easily distracted by their work, their friends, their social life, and even perhaps responsibilities at home. They respond to what’s pressing at the moment, and that’s often not studying, which can be done at the last minute with the phone on and with text messages coming in.” However, research has continually demonstrated that doing too much at once can be overstimulating for the brain. According to John Sweller’s cognitive load theory, “working memory has a very limited capacity. When too much information is presented at once, we feel overwhelmed, and much of that information is lost.” As educators, we can help redirect our student’s cognitive capacity to the right place by providing students with proactive tips on how to be productive when doing school work.

They’re in the course to get the grade, and learning is not the primary objective. Often, students will choose to do the minimum. They are often satisfied with less than their best—if the course is a requirement, and the content is not interesting to them, they see no reason to put forth much effort. They may view assignments as things to complete as quickly as possible. They can prefer easy learning. According to Dr. Weimer, “they don’t want courses or assignments that tax their ‘mental muscles’ too much.” These students prefer specific directions with little room for interpretation or critical thinking. They would rather work on worksheets than answer open-ended questions, and they steer clear of assignments where they could be wrong and it might be their fault.

As educators, we often have to find unconventional ways to reach kids that lack a desire to learn and may not see the potential for their future that comes with authentic learning. If we focus on showing students how achievements can benefit their lives, we can instill hope.
teacher icon

How Can Teachers Help Students Become Better Learners?

By understanding the mindset of a struggling student, educators can become more aware of how to help all students become better learners. The tips below offer a good starting point for all educators:

Help students develop metacognitive awareness (or being aware of how you learn/creating autonomy).
Cultivate your love of learning by sharing past experiences and values with your students.
Strive to make the material relevant to applicable real-world scenarios.
Provide regular, ongoing in-class review and teacher feedback.
Expect failure and frustration, be prepared with plenty of patience.

School psychologist Dr. Allen Mendler wrote, “hope must precede responsibility because kids who lack hope have no reason to act in responsible kinds of ways. There’s no reason to be motivated unless [the student] is hopeful that this particular class is somehow going to improve [his or her] life; that coming to this school is better than not coming.” As educators, it is our job to help give students—especially struggling students and especially now—this hope that learning is the key to a better future. And giving that hope starts with understanding the mindset of a struggling student.

Sources

Bartimote-Augglick, K., Bridegmen, a., Walker, R., Sharma, M., & Smith, L. (2016). The Study Evaluation and Improvement of University Student Self-efficacy. Studies in Higher Education, 14(11), 1918–1942.

Brooks, a. (2019, February 25). 7 Tips to Create the Perfect Study Environment for You. Rasmussen College Life Blog. Source

John Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory. (2019, January 14). Exploring Your Mind. Source

Mendler, a. (N.d.). Motivating Students Who Don’t Care. Ascd. Source

Ni, C. (2019). Designing for Learning Growth: Encouraging Metacognitive Practice to Support Growth Mindsets in Students [unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Carnegie Mellon University School of Design. Source

Saks, N. (2016, October 4). ‘Best Fail Ever’ Asks Student to Talk Failure and Resilience. Montana Public Radio. Source

Shore, K. (N.d.). Classroom Problem Solver: the Student With Low Self Esteem. Education World. Source

Weimer, M. (2018). What Are Five Methods to Help Students Become More Effective Learners? Source

June 2, 2020 8:00 am

Edgenuity Courseware Awarded Research-Based Design Product Certification by Digital Promise

PRWEB | Scottsdale, Arizona | June 2, 2020

Edgenuity, a leading provider of online curriculum and instructional services for the K–12 market, today announced that its Courseware offering has earned the Research-Based Design product certification from Digital Promise. This new product certification serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for educators and consumers – including school administrators, teachers, and families – looking for evidence-based edtech products that meet the needs of a diverse array of learners.

Edgenuity® Courseware is a comprehensive digital curriculum solution for students in grades six through twelve, designed to both challenge and motivate students to continue learning and progressing to more difficult concepts. Courseware offers a full suite of over 300 courses – including core curriculum, AP®, honors, elective, and credit recovery courses – built using an instructional model grounded in research and aligned to state standards and the national standards.

“Edgenuity is deeply committed to the science of learning,” said Sari Factor, CEO of Edgenuity. “We passionately believe that by fusing respected research and innovative technology, we can make learning more student-centered and, ultimately, more impactful. It’s gratifying to see how far we have come as well as to know that, as our research continues, so will the innovation we’re able to bring to classrooms across the nation.”

Edgenuity submitted evidence to Digital Promise demonstrating that instructional design decisions were intentionally made based on recognized research.

“Schools and families want to know which edtech products can actually help students learn,” said Karen Cator, president and CEO of Digital Promise. “Digital Promise’s Product Certifications strengthen consumers’ confidence in choosing research-based products, while recognizing product developers doing the important work of incorporating valid research into their designs.”

The Research-Based Design product certification uses a competency-based learning framework, developed in consultation with Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project advisory board, expert researchers in the Learning Sciences field, and dozens of educators across the United States. Further information about the development of the Research-Backed Design product certification can be found here.

Edgenuity is devoted to developing innovative, research-based curriculum that raises student achievement. An extensive body of pedagogical research about how people learn drives every aspect of the Company’s design and development of K–12 learning solutions. Educators interested in learning more about Edgenuity Courseware can visitthis page or contact an Edgenuity representative for more information.

About Edgenuity

Edgenuity is a leading provider of online curriculum and instructional services for the K–12 market. Nationwide, Edgenuity is in use by more than 20,000 schools, including 20 of the 25 largest school districts, to meet academic goals and improve student outcomes. We offer courses for first-time credit, honors and Advanced Placement, credit recovery, intervention, and test readiness. These solutions, in addition to Edgenuity’s instructional services and professional development offerings, help students, educators, and districts achieve success in their online and blended learning programs. For more information, visitEdgenuity.com.

About Digital Promise

Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow @digitalpromise for updates.

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Imagine Learning is a leading provider of K–12 online and blended learning solutions, and we are always available to speak with members of the press.

Visit our homepage to learn more about Imagine Learning.

Tim DeClaire

Imagine Learning

tim.declaire@imaginelearning.com

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May 13, 2020 8:00 am

StudySync ELA and SyncBlasts for Social Studies Selected as Winners in the 2020 EdTech Digest Awards

StudySync today announced that StudySync ELA and SyncBlast for Social Studies products were selected as winners in the categories of Best Language Arts and Best Social Studies categories respectively, in The 2020 EdTech Cool Tool Awards by EdTech Digest. The company’s SyncBlasts for Science product was named a finalist in the category of best science solution.

Annual awards program recognizes innovators, leaders, and trendsetters in education technology

SONOMA, CALIF. (PRWEB)

MAY 13, 2020

StudySync today announced that StudySync ELA and SyncBlast for Social Studies products were selected as winners in the categories of Best Language Arts and Best Social Studies categories respectively, in The2020 EdTech Cool Tool Awards by EdTech Digest. The company’s SyncBlasts for Science product was named a finalist in the category of best science solution.

The esteemed national EdTech Awards program has sought to celebrate and highlight the innovators, leaders, and trendsetters across the K-12, Higher Education, and Skills and Workforce sectors.

This year’s finalists and winners were narrowed from the larger field and judged based on various criteria, including pedagogical workability, efficacy and results, support, clarity, value and potential.

“We are honored to have StudySync recognized for the dynamic way it empowers teachers to personalize learning, engage students with relevant content, and ensure academic success whether students are learning in school or at a distance,” said Robert Romano, CEO, StudySync. “Our focus has always been to leverage the power of technology to meet students where they are.”

The company’s flagship program, StudySync ELA, is a comprehensive English Language Arts curriculum designed to meet the rigorous academic needs of today’s classroom. With over 2000 works of literature –with an increasingly diverse selection of titles in English and Spanish, StudySync is now used by over 1.6MM students and teachers.

SyncBlasts for Social Studies offers reading and writing assignments that present engaging, inquiry-based instruction for students in grades 6-12. Providing a variety of rich multimedia lesson resources—including a news show, Previews, and Explainer videos—SyncBlasts is designed to intellectually engage students and foster academic inquiry and conversation as students delve deep into social studies and current events —all through a contemporary lens.

“A very big congratulations to the finalists and winners of The EdTech Awards 2020,” said Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest, Victor Rivero. “To those moving students forward across K-12, higher education, and workforce learning—in these unprecedented times we hope this recognition brings you some much-deserved joy and light to help see you through!”

A complete list of finalists and winners can be found at https://edtechdigest.com/2020-finalists-winners/.

About StudySync

StudySync is a leading developer of the most engaging, socially connected, and rigorous academic learning products for grades 6-12. StudySync, its hallmark offering of the same name, is an award-winning, comprehensive English language arts curriculum. The company’s most recently released product, SyncBlasts, expands the company’s scope to include an engaging, supplemental digital inquiry solution for both social studies and science classrooms.

For more information about technology-relevant educational products from StudySync, visit https://www.studysync.com.

McGraw-Hill Education is the exclusive distributor of StudySync products in the United States.

Media Contact:
Charlotte Andrist
Nickel Communications PR
(770) 310-5244
charlotte@nickelcommpr.com

For Media Queries

Imagine Learning is a leading provider of K–12 online and blended learning solutions, and we are always available to speak with members of the press.

Visit our homepage to learn more about Imagine Learning.

Tim DeClaire

Imagine Learning

tim.declaire@imaginelearning.com

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March 24, 2020 8:00 am

Setting Online Learning Goals with Students

Figuring out learning goals can help to both offer internal motivation to students and show students the value of learning (because who hasn’t heard the question, “When am I ever going to use this?”).

Happy student on laptop listening on headphones

Regardless of how a student learns — in a traditional setting, online, by doing—a great first step for ensuring success is setting learning goals.

Because everyone is different, figuring out learning goals can help to both offer internal motivation to students and show students the value of learning (because who hasn’t heard the question, “When am I ever going to use this?”).

When learning is self-directed, setting goals is even more important because students have to rely more on themselves to ensure they’re learning.

For every student who chunks out the work involved in a semester-long project, 10 more students wait until the week before the project is due to start it. (Guilty!)

And because online learning is often more self-directed, setting online learning goals can be critical to student success.

How to help students set good goals for their online learning?

It’s not that different than it is for traditional learning. It starts with offering guidance, monitoring progress, reflecting, and celebrating achievements.

To start, make sure students know what a goal is and what it means to have one (or more).

This is particularly important for younger students.

If a student doesn’t understand what a goal is, they’ll struggle to work toward meeting it and being successful.

Fortunately, goal-setting is a skill, which means it can be taught, so start by teaching your students about goals, the same way you might teach reading or math.

No matter their age, your students will have already met some goals, so look for examples from their own lives that you can use to explain goals and goal-setting.

Next, teach students how to set good goals.

There’s a world of difference between easy, “gimme” goals and impossible-to-achieve goals, so make sure students understand this. Students should be setting online learning goals that offer some degree of challenge, but aren’t impossible to meet.

One way to help ensure students are setting good goals is to have one main end goal with several progress-related goals that they’ll meet throughout the process of meeting the main one.

And consider teaching students about SMART goals, which can help them create clear and reasonable goals.

Once goals are set, monitor and document the process of meeting them.

It’s possible goals will need to change after students have begun working toward meeting them, so it’s best for both student and teacher to monitor progress.

This way, goal adjustments can be made if needed so students can still be successful even if something has changed.

If students are not meeting goals, reflect on possible reasons for that.

This could be happening for a number of reasons. Maybe the student is struggling to understand a concept and can’t move forward without assistance.

Or they don’t understand the expectations placed on them for online learning.

Whatever the case may be, there’s a reason why they’re not meeting their goals, so do some digging to figure that out.

And as students meet goals, celebrate!

Though most experts would agree that the feeling of accomplishment is more valuable than a tangible reward, there’s nothing wrong with strategically rewarding students with praise and/or goods.

This can be especially useful for younger students, and when larger goals are met.

Utilizing classroom webpages and social media accounts, you can create a tracking system, like a chart with stickers, so that students can see their progress. And since celebrating achievements virtually requires some creativity, we’ve shared some tips for doing so.

At the end of the day, it’s most important that students understand why and how to set goals, as well as how to monitor progress toward achieving those goals.

Making progress toward meeting goals is really important, so if goals aren’t met, make sure students understand that they have not failed, and that making progress is its own goal.

To start, make sure students know what a goal is and what it means to have one (or more).

This is particularly important for younger students. If a student doesn’t understand what a goal is, they’ll struggle to work toward meeting it and being successful. Fortunately, goal-setting is a skill, which means it can be taught, so start by teaching your students about goals, the same way you might teach reading or math.

No matter their age, your students will have already met some goals, so look for examples from their own lives that you can use to explain goals and goal-setting.

February 18, 2020 8:00 am

Why Student Agency Matters

Agency is both a skill and a mindset that involves goal setting and self-reflection. As teachers, we can build agency through our interactions and relationships with our students.

Student in classroom resting on a stack of books

Student agency — what is it?

Surprisingly, there is no one definition for this term, but we can liken student agency to students having the “it factor”: they have “it,” they know how to be successful, and they go after “it.”

In essence;

Student agency requires students to take responsibility for their learning. Although not a new concept, the term is evolving simply because students and the learning process are also always evolving. Students with agency know how to work hard and focus.

They take an interest in learning, work through any difficulties along the way, and in the end, do not give up.

As educators, we often measure our success by watching our students leave school with the ability to accomplish their goals and be successful in life. We aspire for all our students to be successful, but we also know that some students are easier to work with than others.

These particular students often have an ingrained sense of agency and can work through difficulties on their own. Sometimes we even see ourselves in these students. They can mimic our feelings (as teachers) about learning and achievement.

But what about meeting the needs of our struggling students?

Research suggests that agency is such a fundamental human desire that people only lose agency when they’re unable to make relevant connections to the activity, task, person, etc.

In other words:

Agency, in the most literal sense, is about relationships with others. We already know the importance of making connections in the classroom to pique student interest, but isn’t it more than that?

An in-depth study of the psychology of coping researched stress and resilience during adolescence and children’s ability to self-regulate. This study discovered that a child’s ways of dealing with challenges fit into one of the following categories:

problem-solving
support seeking
distraction
escape
opposition
withdrawal

In simple terms, this means that some students handle their issues better than others. As educators, we need to remember that students who lack agency can doubt themselves and their abilities, and that behavioral responses such as withdrawing, appearing apathetic, and even acting out are coping mechanisms to regulate emotions.

In school, these students are often slumped over in the back of the classroom, refusing to participate and unable to concentrate.

Sadly, they often also participate in self-talk in which they reinforce their feelings of incompetence.

How Can I Help Increase Student Agency?

There is hope for students like this. As teachers, we can build agency through our interactions and relationships with our students. One way to do this is with conversation.

A few well-placed words can work wonders on a student’s self-esteem, and lead to increased agency. For tips on how to do this with ease, check out this list of 101 ways to say good job.

Another way to build agency is to teach students how to reflect using metacognition.

Reflecting on experiences (whether behavioral or academic) helps students move forward from a setback and furthers their growth toward student agency. Encourage students to reflect on their learning experience by simply asking the question, “What did I learn from this?” after completing each lesson, unit, and project.

Doing this will help students start to gain a sense of awareness so they can make appropriate changes in their lives and learning to achieve better outcomes.

Additionally:

There are lots of questions you can ask your students to help in building agency, including the following:

How did you figure that out?
What problems did you come across today?
How are you planning to go about this?
Which part are you sure about?
Which part are you not sure about?

Agency is both a skill and a mindset that involves goal setting and self-reflection.

By understanding our students better, we can help them build a growth mindset and, in turn, build their confidence. When students believe they can succeed, they are less likely to feel helpless in times of struggle.

As educators, we can help our students develop these lifelong skills that will propel them into successful futures

SOURCES

101 WAYS TO SAY “GOOD JOB.” CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PUTNAM COUNTY. RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://PUTNAM.CCE.CORNELL.EDU/RESOURCES/101-WAYS-TO-SAY-GOOD-JOB

BROOKMAN-BYRNE, A. (2018, JUNE 22). THINKING ABOUT THINKING: WHAT IS METACOGNITION AND HOW CAN IT HELP STUDENTS LEARN? BOLD. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://BOLD.EXPERT/THINKING-ABOUT-THINKING/

DARLING-HAMMOND, L., AUSTIN, K., CHEUNG, M., & MARTIN, D (N.D.). ACTIVITIES FOR METACOGNITION. DEPAUL TEACHING COMMONS. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://RESOURCES.DEPAUL.EDU/TEACHING-COMMONS/TEACHING-GUIDES/LEARNING-ACTIVITIES/PAGES/ACTIVITIES-FOR-METACOGNITION.ASPX

JOHNSTON, P. H. (2004). CHOICE WORDS: HOW OUR LANGUAGE AFFECTS CHILDREN’S LEARNING. PORTLAND, ME: STENHOUSE PUBLISHERS. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.STENHOUSE.COM/CONTENT/CHOICE-WORDS

SKINNER, E. A., & ZIMMER-GEMBECK, M. J. (2007). THE DEVELOPMENT OF COPING (PP. 120–144). PORTLAND, OR: PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.ANNUALREVIEWS.ORG/DOI/ABS/10.1146/ANNUREV.PSYCH.58.110405.085705

January 8, 2020 8:00 am

Weld North Education Acquires LearnZillion

Weld North Education (WNE) the leading PreK-12 digital curriculum company focused on unlocking the power of technology for learning, announced today that it has acquired LearnZillion, a leading provider of K-12 high-quality digital-first core curriculum.

Acquisition Unlocks the Transformative Promise of Digital Core Curriculum
Offers Teachers the Power of Engaging, Customizable, Classroom-ready Tools to Foster Greater Outcomes
Third Significant Acquisition in 12 Months by Weld North Education, Leading Pure-Play US Digital Education Company
First Foray Within the Digital Core Market Traditionally Served Through Textbooks

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Weld North Education (WNE) the leading PreK-12 digital curriculum company focused on unlocking the power of technology for learning, announced today that it has acquired LearnZillion, a leading provider of K-12 high-quality digital-first core curriculum.

LearnZillion’s curriculum and software – delivered to teachers through an intuitive, easy-to-use platform – is designed to transform the classroom experience, offering teachers the power of engaging, customizable, classroom-ready tools to foster greater outcomes for students. This acquisition is WNE’s first foray within the digital core market traditionally served through textbooks. Together with WNE’s digital intervention, supplemental and assessment solutions, LearnZillion will reduce the reliance on textbooks which cannot generate the data required to personalize instruction.

LearnZillion marks the third significant acquisition by Weld North Education, the largest pure-play digital education company, in less than a year. In February 2019, WNE acquired digital curriculum company Glynlyon, Inc. and in March 2019, acquired assessment software provider ATI, Inc. LearnZillion will broaden the solutions provided by the core businesses within WNE: Edgenuity and Imagine Learning.

“This is a major step forward for Weld North Education and underscores our unwavering commitment to transform education by building the best digital curriculum company in the world, serving students, teachers, parents and administrators,” said Jonathan Grayer, Chairman and CEO of Weld North Education. “LearnZillion has cracked the code for delivering a digital-first core curriculum to schools across the country, reducing the reliance on textbooks. With the addition of LearnZillion to our portfolio of leading K-12 digital curriculum businesses, we are well on our way towards redefining how teachers teach and how students learn by unleashing the power of data-driven instruction through engaging, adaptive products.”

Founded by former educators, LearnZillion’s solution provides easy-to-follow lesson plans, student activities and embedded professional development all wrapped around research-based curricula with demonstrated efficacy. LearnZillion’s curricula has received the highest rating on EdReports, a nonprofit that provides independent reviews of K-12 instructional materials. LearnZillion CEO Eric Westendorf and the LearnZillion team will remain with the business and become part of Edgenuity.

“For years, educators have talked about the promise of digital curriculum that sits at the core of a blended learning approach,” said Sari Factor, CEO of Edgenuity. “LearnZillion brings this capability with a proven track record of success. Together, we will provide educators with comprehensive digital core and supplemental solutions that support teacher-led instruction of trusted standards-based content, data-driven reporting and learning analytics.”

LearnZillion’s offerings include core curricula for math and English language arts authored by Illustrative Mathematics and EL Education, respectively. Today, LearnZillion delivers EL Education’s curriculum to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and collaborated with the Louisiana Department of Education to create Guidebooks 2.0, which built ELA Guidebooks into classroom-ready lessons for teachers.

“LearnZillion meets a critical need in the market by making high-quality curricula accessible and usable by teachers. That significantly boosts both teachers’ ability to bring the curriculum to life and to meet the needs of all their student,” said Eric Westendorf, CEO and Founder of LearnZillion. “Now with resources of Weld North Education and Edgenuity, we will be able to fully leverage the advantage of technology for teachers in the classroom—content customization, embedded supports, and real time data—to continue to improve student outcomes.”

About Weld North Education

Weld North Education, in partnership with Silver Lake, is a leading digital education technology company focused on developing digital curriculum and tools for PreK–12 students. The Company is built around two underlying businesses, Edgenuity and Imagine Learning. Edgenuity is a leading digital courseware provider focused on providing online curricula and intervention solutions. Imagine Learning is a leading digital supplemental solutions provider focused on addressing language, literacy and math. Read more about Weld North Education at www.WeldNorthEd.com.

About LearnZillion

LearnZillion curates and publishes the highest-quality core instructional materials, supported by exceptional professional development. LearnZillion is committed to helping educators plan and deliver powerful, lasting learning experiences. Districts that adopt our curricula empower teachers to spend less time building student-facing materials from scratch and more time meeting their students’ needs. For more information, visit www.LearnZillion.com.

About Edgenuity

Edgenuity is a leading provider of online curriculum and instructional services for the K-12 market. Nationwide, Edgenuity is in use by more than 20,000 schools, including 20 of the 25 largest school districts, to meet academic goals and improve student outcomes. We offer initial credit courses, honors and Advanced Placement courses, credit recovery, intervention and test readiness. These solutions, in addition to Edgenuity’s instructional services and professional development offerings, help students, educators and districts achieve success in their online and blended learning programs. For more information, visit www.Edgenuity.com.

About Imagine Learning

Imagine Learning is passionate about providing equity of access to learning for all students through teaching with technology. We are a leading educational technology company providing supplemental digital curriculum for PreK through 8th grade students. Our adaptive suite of Literacy, Math, and Assessment solutions are powered by the Imagine Learning Language Advantage™; a theory of action that promotes rigorous and equitable development of language, enabling students to have deeper comprehension, engagement, and enjoyment of learning. Over 3 million students nationwide benefit from Imagine Learning programs to accelerate their learning. Learn more at www.imaginelearning.com.

Contacts

RooneyPartners
917-291-0833
esloane@rooneyco.com

For Media Queries

Imagine Learning is a leading provider of K–12 online and blended learning solutions, and we are always available to speak with members of the press.

Visit our homepage to learn more about Imagine Learning.

Tim DeClaire

Imagine Learning

tim.declaire@imaginelearning.com

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November 20, 2019 8:00 am

Teaching Students to Persevere

How can we encourage students to “stick to it” when they are in a world full of more interesting distractions?

Whether they learn in a virtual or traditional classroom, students have to actively choose to work toward the long-term goal of building knowledge instead of playing or watching TV, both of which can be more appealing than schoolwork. And knowing the long-term benefits of completing an activity is not always enough for children (or adults) to make the right choice.

That’s why teaching students to persevere is so important, and one way to do that is to teach them about self-distancing. This technique encourages students to take an outsider’s perspective of the task at hand. Encouraging students to think about their situation differently helps to remove the emotional connection to the decision-making and situation. So instead of making a decision based on what looks to be more fun and exciting, students can make a decision based on what their favorite character, hero, role model, etc. would do.

Student cheering themselves on their achievement

Teaching Students to Persevere with Self-Distancing

1. Start by teaching students to take an outsider’s perspective.

Younger students, in particular, benefit by imagining themselves as their favorite hard-working character or superhero. Because younger children already love to pretend and role-play, doing this is pretty natural and fun for them. Another way to refer to this is the Batman Effect—to remember what self-distancing is, just ask yourself, “How would Batman solve this problem?”

Older students find it helpful to talk to themselves in the third person. Instead of using personal pronouns like I, you, and me, switch to using first names or third-person pronouns. Instead of, “I am so bored by Algebra class,” try, “Is Ashley focused and working hard?” This strategy is often referred to as self-talk; you can even try it for yourself!

2. Have students pretend they are giving advice to a friend.

Ask students to think about what they would say to a friend in the same situation. If their friend was struggling to complete their homework, would you encourage them to browse social media instead? Probably not!

3. Ask students to think about how they would feel about the situation in the future.

Choose a time frame that makes sense for the situation, and ask students to consider how they might feel about the decisions they are making tomorrow, next week, a month from now, etc. Sometimes remembering that the negative emotions we are experiencing now are not permanent helps to put things into perspective. Using one of these simple shifts in language is often powerful enough to help students see challenging situations as conquerable instead of threatening or insurmountable.

Self-Distancing in Action

Why Teach Students Self-Distancing Techniques?

Students who can self-distance are better able to focus on long-term goals and resist distractions when working to reach those goals. This is true not just for their school lives; it helps in their personal lives, too. By distancing themselves from the emotional implications of a situation, students learn to cope with negative reactions in a much more productive way.

This technique allows students to better understand their own reactions and decisions, and being able to exhibit self-control in situations helps to build both perseverance and self-esteem. Encouraging students to practice self-distancing also helps them to understand their emotions without letting the emotions take over. That’s why teaching students to persevere by practicing self-distancing is a great way to shape students into people who can be counted on by others.

SOURCES

EVA, A. L. (2017, SEPTEMBER 12). FOUR WAYS TO GAIN PERSPECTIVE ON NEGATIVE EVENTS. GREATER GOOD MAGAZINE. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://GREATERGOOD.BERKELEY.EDU/ARTICLE/ITEM/FOUR_WAYS_TO_GAIN_PERSPECTIVE_ON_NEGATIVE_EVENTS

HARRIS, S., ABDULLAH, M., & WHALEN, K. (2019, AUGUST). HOW TO NURTURE STICK-TO-ITIVENESS IN KIDS. GREATER GOOD MAGAZINE. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://GREATERGOOD.BERKELEY.EDU/VIDEO/ITEM/HOW_TO_NURTURE_RELIABILITY_IN_KIDS

WHITE, R. E., PRAGER, E. O., SCHAEFER, C., KROSS, E., DUCKWORTH, A. L., & CARLSON, S. M. (2017). THE “BATMAN EFFECT”: IMPROVING PERSEVERANCE IN YOUNG CHILDREN. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 88(5), 1563–1571. RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://SELFCONTROL.PSYCH.LSA.UMICH.EDU/WP-CONTENT/UPLOADS/2016/12/CDEV12695.PDF_JSESSIONID9A14126FF0E062AD942DD3C3CEE26155.F04T03.PDF

September 26, 2019 8:00 am

Defining Personalized, Differentiated, and Individualized Instruction

Each of these terms has been in the education lexicon for a while now, but what do they mean? More importantly, why do they matter to educators?

Personalized, differentiated, and individualized learning — each of these terms has been in the education lexicon for a while now, but what do they mean? Are they three different ways of saying the same thing? If not, how do they differ? In this What’s Up With piece, we go over these three terms, and why they matter to educators and students.

3 students and a teacher engaged in a lesson in a classroom

Differentiated Learning

Perhaps, the oldest concept of the three, differentiated learning involves “address[ing] the needs of all students, who may be at varying levels, within a single classroom,” according to eSchool News. This can be done by grouping students by their level of understanding or ability, and then providing each group of students with a lesson that has been adapted to meet their skill level.

Personalized Learning

According to iNACOL, when educators personalize learning, they are “tailoring learning for each student’s strengths, needs, and interests — including enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when, and where they learn — to provide flexibility and supports to ensure mastery of the highest standards possible.”

Put simply, personalized learning takes a student’s needs, skills, and preferred learning style into consideration, and gives them more control over and say in their learning.

Individualized Learning

Individualized learning is exactly what it sounds like — instruction that is built to an individual student’s specific needs. A good example of individualized learning is extra help in the form of tutoring. Typically delivered one-to-one, tutoring is highly customized to address a student’s specific questions, some of which may result from their ability or skill level. Another common way educators and students experience individualized learning is with IEPs (individualized education programs).

How Are They Similar?

Personalized, differentiated, and individualized learning are all ways of customizing learning to better meet student needs. They all take into account that students are different and have varying levels of skill and ability, and aim to alter instruction and the learning experience to better cater to students.

How Do Personalized, Differentiated, and Individualized Learning Differ?

The biggest difference between each of these terms is the degree to which instruction is customized for the individual student.

Think of it as an upside-down pyramid. Differentiated instruction would be at the top, with the least amount of customization. Next would be personalized instruction, with more customization. Finally, at the bottom would be individualized instruction, which is highly customized to the individual student.

Another difference between these concepts is in how much involvement the student has in directing their learning. With both differentiation and individualization, the student is more of a participant in their learning than a leader, whereas in true personalization, the student works together with the instructor to design a learning system and path that works specifically for them, their interests, and their abilities.

How Can You Incorporate Personalized, Differentiated, and Individualized Learning into Your Teaching?

In a perfect world, every student would get one-to-one, highly individualized instruction from an excellent teacher. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, so innovative and creative educators have found ways to customize instruction, both with and without the use of technology.

The first step in differentiating, personalizing, and individualizing instruction is to determine your students’ individual skill levels and abilities, as well as if they need any special accommodations to promote and support their learning. Once you’ve been able to determine that, you can then group students together by ability or skill level (differentiation), adjust your lesson plans and the way instruction is delivered to better align with student needs and learning styles (personalization), and highly customize both the content and your instruction as students need (individualize).

Being able to use technology to identify where students are thriving and struggling, group students together, monitor their progress, and formatively assess them can make personalizing, differentiating, and individualizing instruction not only possible, but easy.

SOURCES

ABEL, N. (2016, FEBRUARY 17). WHAT IS PERSONALIZED LEARNING? INACOL. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.INACOL.ORG/NEWS/WHAT-IS-PERSONALIZED-LEARNING/

BASYE, D. (2018, JANUARY 24). PERSONALIZED VS. DIFFERENTIATED VS. INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING. ISTE BLOG. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.ISTE.ORG/EXPLORE/EDUCATION-LEADERSHIP/PERSONALIZED-VS.-DIFFERENTIATED-VS.-INDIVIDUALIZED-LEARNING

FREELAND FISHER, J. (2017, APRIL 25). WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLENDED AND PERSONALIZED LEARNING? CHRISTENSEN INSTITUTE. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.CHRISTENSENINSTITUTE.ORG/BLOG/WHATS-DIFFERENCE-BLENDED-PERSONALIZED-LEARNING/

STEDKE, A. (2017, AUGUST 1). DIFFERENTIATION, INDIVIDUALIZATION AND PERSONALIZATION: WHAT THEY MEAN, AND WHERE THEY’RE HEADED. ESCHOOL NEWS. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.ESCHOOLNEWS.COM/2017/08/01/DIFFERENTIATION-INDIVIDUALIZATION/?ALL

September 11, 2019 12:00 am

Implementing Personalized Learning in a Virtual School

Read how Caddo School District is reaching more students and helping them achieve success by personalizing a virtual school model.

Educator sits in front of a laptop with a pen in hand

Faced with declining graduation rates, Southwood High School in Louisiana enlisted its then Assistant Principal Tyron Lacy to create an online credit recovery program that would allow students to recover credits so they could graduate on time.

As a result, Southwood’s graduation rates went “through the roof,” says Lacy, who later facilitated the district-wide expansion of the program.

That program has now been up and running for over 10 years, and has expanded to offer initial credit and summer school options for Caddo School District students. After seeing how online courses can help students, Lacy decided to offer more options for Louisiana students, and in the summer of 2016, he opened the Caddo Virtual Academy (CVA).

By implementing personalized learning in a virtual school model, Caddo School District is reaching more students, and helping them achieve success.

Strategic Design

Now, barely three years after CVA was founded, it’s an A+ school and was recently given the Top Gains Honoree Award. But this success wasn’t by accident.

Lacy, now the principal of CVA, emphasizes the strategic, data-driven decisions he and his team made to create this powerful learning environment.

“We were purposeful in the things that we did. We didn’t just throw it in the air and hope it worked,” Lacy said.

They used strategic hiring practices to ensure students have quality instructors, and fostered relationships with local universities to provide students access to dual-enrollment courses, as well as AP^® classes and SAT^®/ACT^® prep courses.

This level of care and attention to detail contributes to the success of the independent high school, which functions exactly like any other school in the district. And unlike other virtual schools across the country that act as alternative programs within traditional high schools, CVA has its own campus, extracurricular activities, and even PTA, which helped get some of the first parents on board with this new program.

“All students learn differently, and every environment is not good for every student. [But] with proper support, students can achieve at their own rate.”

Tyron Lacy

Personalized Learning in a Virtual School

When students first enroll in CVA, they go through a series of questions to set up an individualized graduation plan based on their specific needs.

In fact, “We make it personal!” is the school’s motto, emblazoned on their website and at the core of all they do.

“All students learn differently, and every environment is not good for every student,” says Lacy, who believes that, “with proper support, all students can achieve at their own rate.”

Furthermore:

Teachers customize their courses to match the Louisiana Department of Education’s requirements while also pushing the students to think critically and not just blow through their assignments.

With students ranging from those who are academically gifted and looking for a challenge to those needing asynchronous schedules due to demanding extracurricular activities to those who have been traditionally homeschooled, CVA’s unique hybrid format provides support, structure, and plenty of student-teacher interaction.

Unique Format

“Even though we’re an online school, the majority of our students come to school every day,” says Lacy. “I think it’s the personal touch.”

Unlike some online schools where students receive minimal personal interaction, CVA students get support immediately from their teachers as they complete their coursework.

This feedback is available online through messaging or video streaming, and teachers are also available for office hours.

This personalized learning in a virtual school helps students to “see the passion behind our educators,” which in turn “builds a culture of excellence that students want to be around,” says Lacy.

Additionally, students are required to attend weekly live lectures from their teachers either virtually or in person.

“It’s just like a normal class,” Lacy says. “Teachers take roll, ask interactive questions, break students into groups,” and present the topics students will cover that week.

Then, students have the rest of the week to complete their coursework in Edgenuity^® at their own pace. “No student is left behind, but no student has to wait either,” says Lacy, and he points out that the coursework is rigorous enough that no one is ever significantly ahead of the teacher.

Looking Ahead

As word spreads of their unique model, support structures, and student success, enrollment at CVA has tripled. Seniors have been awarded millions in scholarships and are earning college credit, and students who had previously struggled are now graduating on time.

The district is taking notice of their success, and considering ways to provide additional space and support for the increasing number of students electing to enroll.

“I’m excited about what we’re able to do for families and students,” says Lacy, as he continues to dream of bigger and better ways to enable student success through the use of technology.

July 17, 2019 8:00 am

Six Keys to Effective Professional Development

Engage your teachers and staff in effective professional development with these simple and research-backed tips.

As the library begins to fill up with your colleagues, you wonder, “Will we get out early today? What is this professional development about anyway? I’ve got too much to do in my classroom to focus on this.”

This may sound all too familiar to educators taking part in professional development. Naturally, one wonders how to make professional development effective for teachers, and the simple answer is by making sure to both engage teachers and allow time for reflection. But how we get there is a bit more detailed.

In a 2009 study, over 90% of teachers reported having participated in professional development that was not useful. Professional development, of course, is intended to benefit all the educators who participate in it, so what are the keys to effective professional development sessions for teachers?

Students in a classroom all raising their hands to answer a question

1. Administrative Support

Before any PD sessions occur, it is imperative that the district’s primary point of contact be available for a meeting or phone call with the PD specialist. This call may be the only opportunity for the parties to touch base about topics related to the agenda, the level of experience of the teachers participating, and logistics.

During the session, it is important for the overseeing administrator to be present and active. Often, questions or topics arise that are unique to a school district’s policy. While PD specialists can offer suggestions, ultimately the school’s or district’s administration must be present to make decisions or establish guidelines for their staff. A delay in decision-making can impact a teacher’s ability to deploy what they have learned right away.

Beyond the initial session, sustained administrative support is essential to a teacher’s success since implementation of some new practice, policy, or technology is a big challenge. Therefore, support from administration, other teachers, and PD specialists during PLC or instructional time can provide this important layer.

2. Teacher Buy-in

Teachers deserve PD that is relevant for them and their students. One way to achieve this is to have them play the role of and see the content through the lens of a student. As they learn new content and skills during the day, reflection can help guide them in understanding how their students can apply the new skill.

Another way to create buy-in is to elicit input about their learning objectives for the session. Having a greater stake in the desired outcomes can be very rewarding for a teacher who struggles to see the result.

3. Say–Show–Do

Central to any classroom is the concept of modeling. We first tell students what they will do, then carefully model the skill, and finally expect them to replicate the skill independently. This same concept should apply to PD sessions. Participants are more willing to apply a specific tool or skill once they have been presented with clear instructions and modeling on how to do that.

4. Collaboration Among Peers

Teaching is a collaborative profession, so isolating teachers during a PD session is counterintuitive to that. Finding opportunities for collaborative activities can keep participants engaged and tap into different ideas and perspectives around an idea or philosophy. Broadening teachers’ perspectives can, in turn, lead to increased engagement with their students.

5. Differentiation

Educators are expected to do this for their students in the classroom, so why wouldn’t we do the same thing for teacher professional development? There are a few ways to make this happen:

Having participants complete a survey ahead of time that gauges their level of expertise/experience is the first step to effective differentiation. Interpreting these results should guide the day’s agenda, and will hopefully enable the session leader to activate teacher interest by including topics that they would like to learn more about.
Teachers who have advanced skills or experience can guide a breakout session using their expertise to build their colleagues’ knowledge base. Additionally, teachers may be more willing to listen and engage with someone they already know.

6. Bringing Content to Life

Humor and fun are not just for the playground and classroom! Sharing humorous, real-world examples can be an effective way to engage participants and promote a safe and comfortable environment where meaningful professional development can take place. Bringing in humor and real life can also help keep teachers engaged and create memorable experiences.

When you’re planning out your PD sessions, keep these things in mind. PD should be beneficial for all educators, and students, too, so consider which way and when is best for your teachers to participate in PD. Incorporating these keys to effective professional development sessions is important to teachers’ personal growth and should be approached with careful consideration.

SOURCES

DARLING-HAMMOND, L., CHUNG WEI, R., ANDREE, A., RICHARDSON, N., & ORPHANOS, S. (2009). PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IN THE LEARNING PROFESSION: A STATUS REPORT ON TEACHER DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD. DALLAS, TX: NATIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://STATIC1.SQUARESPACE.COM/STATIC/56B90CB101DBAE64FF707585/T/583C7FE720099E25D0B1BD24/1480359912004/NSDCSTUDY2009.PDF